Saturday, 28 December 2013

Cannock Chase
2x possible Parrot Crossbill with Crossbills - From track between Upper Longdon and Castle Ring follow track by the telegraph poles past the fishing pool on the right and take the left fork for approx 100 yards to view the clearfell on the right (IMo)Great Northern Diver over Castle Ring at 09:50 also 20x Crossbill (IMo)Great Grey Shrike again at 12:00 by the butts 400 yards north of the cadet huts (CW GW)Gailey ResGreat Northern Diver still on the sailing lake

Thursday, 12 December 2013

Belvide Res (permit only)
Female/juvenile drake Velvet Scoter between Gazebo and West End hides at 12.53 and for the rest of the day. The juv Iceland Gull came into roost at 16:14hrs, and the two imm Long-tailed Ducks and two Scaup still remain (SN)

Saturday, 7 December 2013

Middleton LakesSiberian Chiffchaff feeding in sallowed pools, just east of the east screen at Jubilee Wetlands, also Chiffchaff, Mealy Redpoll with 4x Lesser Redpoll, 4x Little Egret, 3x Goldeneye, 2x Stonechat & 2x Cetti's Warbler (JHa)Belvide Res (permit only)Greenland White-fronted Goose still on the north shore also 2x Long-tailed Duck off the dam and 2x Scaup at the west end

Saturday, 30 November 2013

Aqualate MereVelvet Scoter female late morning also 5x Common Scoter and 3x Pintail, Velvet Scoter still present this afternoon, associating with Tufted Duck on South side of the Mere (IGr)
No sign of Velvet Scoter by dusk (it appeared to swim left of the hide and out of view at c14:45. It wasn't seen to fly off but RPo stayed till dusk and it didn't reappear) but Cetti's Warbler by hide and 100,000 Starlings into roost (RPo)

Record shots until we receive better!

Belvide ResGreenland White-fronted Goose again on the north shore at the west end also a Bittern, 2x Long-tailed Duck, 2x ScaupChasewater Res
Adult Caspian Gull on the Swag, in the roost, juvenile Iceland Gull, 2x juvenile Gaucous Gull & 2x Caspian Gulls (@CWG_sigtings)
also adult Med Gull (AHa)

Wednesday, 27 November 2013

Belvide Res (permit only)Greenland White-fronted Goose again this morning but no sign at 11:40. Later again on the north shore at the west end at 15:25
The 2 Long-tailed Duck still off the dam also 2x Scaup at the west end

Monday, 25 November 2013

Belvide ResGreenland White-fronted Goose from West end at 14.34, also the 2x Long-tailed Duck still present (SNu) 1st winter drake Scaup still. WF Goose later flew north at 15:25 and landed in fields north of the A5Chasewater
2nd winter Iceland Gull in the roost also adult Caspian GullCannock Chase, Quarry area
21x Crossbill & 6x Lesser Redpoll (RWi)Great Grey Shrike on south east side of Abrahams Valley at 14:15 (PDy)

Dimmingsdale
1000+ Starling over at 16:00 also a Brambling and 4x Redpoll (TE)

Tuesday, 12 November 2013

Westport Lake
A female Common Scoter over and 7x Pintail over this morning (NJS)
also 2x Raven flew W over lake at 09.30 (JJo)

Chasewater ResGreat Northern Diver still at 11.05 (DLe)

Great Northern Diver by Derek Lees

Doxey MarshesWater Rail, 4x Goosander & Yellow-legged Gull (MJackson)

Cannock Chase Abrahams Valley - 20x Crossbill (Andy R)Cadet Huts - Brambling (RSmith)Parrs Warren - 14:00hrs Observer continued on a footpath at the end of the cadet huts car park where there was a beech tree, then arrived at what he assumes is Parrs Warren where on the left hand side of clearfell on some sawn off and levelled tree trunks and found the Great Grey Shrike (RSmith)

Thursday, 31 October 2013

Staffordshire Wildlife Trust has launched an appeal to create a new nature reserve in the county with the aim of providing bitterns a place to breed. See details of the appeal below

URGENT APPEAL: Help the Trust bring breeding bitterns back to Staffordshire!

The secretive bittern, a member of the heron family, best known for its characteristic "boom", is one of our rarest and most stunning birds. We want bittern breeding again in Staffordshire, something which hasn't been seen for over 100 years.

But we need your help to make this vision a reality. To attract the bittern, we have to create the large reedbeds that are so important for this rarest of birds. The good news is we've found the perfect site, Tucklesholme Quarry, a few miles upstream from Burton-upon-Trent, on the banks of the Trent near Barton-under-Needwood. Plans are already underway to create the perfect habitat for bittern, and a host of other species, but we need help from our supporters to raise the final amount needed to buy the site and change history by bringing breeding bitterns back to Staffordshire.

But we have to act fast. At 130 acres, Tucklesholme Quarry is big enough to create the large expanse of reedbed that bitterns thrive in (in fact, we aim to create the largest reedbed in Staffordshire's Trent Valley), and if we raise enough money to buy the site BEFORE extraction is complete, we will be able to work with the digger drivers to create the right slopes, shapes and islands to create habitats that are perfect for wildlife. BUT THE CLOCK IS TICKING, WE NEED TO COMPLETE THE PURCHASE BEFORE THE END OF NOVEMBER.

We believe Tucklesholme has all the right ingredients to become one of our finest nature reserves, but we urgently need your help.

Thursday, 17 October 2013

***A new blog has been started for Tittesworth Reservoir. It can be found athttp://tittesworth.blogspot.co.uk/. If you are a regular or a casual visitor there, please send your sightings in to scseal29@hotmail.co.uk.****

The Wood Sandpiper was still on the north shore, also the Ruff remains, a Crossbill flew SW at 15.20, Goldeneye have increased to 14, also 215 Tufted Duck & the Egyptian Goose were noted (Belvide blog)

Belvide Res (permit only)Wood Sandpiper remains on the north shore for it's 13th day, also 1 Ruff and c20 Golden Plover were present, The Egyptian Goose was still with the Canada flock, 166 Teal and a Shelduck were noted.

A reminder that there is a work party this Sunday, please meet at Scott hide at 09.30 if you can spare a few hours, wellingtons are recommended, tools and gloves are provided (Belvide Blog)

Saturday, 12 October 2013

Belvide Res (permit only)
Highlight was a Great White Egret that flew through to the NW at 15.10, 2x Grey Plover flew SE at 13.20, also the Wood Sandpiper remains, a single Ruff and 2x Golden Plover were noted, 2x drake Common Scoter were new arrivals, also 6x Goldeneye, 158 Teal, 52x Wigeon, 24x Shoveler, 27x Gadwall, 32x Pochard, 135x Tufted Duck, 1x Shelduck, 559x Canada Geese & 218x Greylag Geese were counted.
A late Common Tern flew through late morning, also single Swallow & Chiffchaff were present, 24x Fieldfare were the first of the autumn & 70x Redwing were noted. A single Rock Pipit flew over this morning, a imm Peregrine was seen in the afternoon & 2x Yellow-legged Gulls were in the pre-roost.

Due to a poor weather forecast tomorrow the work party has been cancelled
(Belvide Blog)

Steve Nuttall

Martyn Pitt

Tittesworth Res
No sign of the Glossy Ibis by 13.00, a male Brambling was on the car park feeders (CBr, JHo)

Friday, 11 October 2013

Belvide Res (permit only)It’s been a good days birding which started off with a BONXIE that flew over high and strongly to the north at 8.30am. Then at 9.50am a different bird dropped in and settled on the water. The bird showed well occasionally chasing gulls until 2.40pm when it flew off south west. This is the 8th and 9th record for Belvide. A GREY PHALAROPE was found on the north west shore at 10.40am. The bird was highly mobile and wasn’t seen after midday. This is the first record since November 2005. The Wood Sandpiper was still on the north shore, also 1 Ruff, 1 Dunlin and 2 Jack Snipe were present. 3 Rock Pipit were at the west end this afternoon. A single Pintail was noted. The gull roost held a record 19 Yellow-legged Gulls and 35 Common Gulls (Belvide Blog)

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Staffordshire Birding

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